Amarr Basic Ship and Skill Overview

From EVE University Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

The Amarr Basic Ship and Skill Guide is intended to give fitting and skill recommendations for Amarr ships in both Player vs. Environment (PVE) and Player vs. Player (PVP) encounters.

This is a work in progress, and the guide's Discussion Thread is on the Eve University forum. Please direct comments, suggestions, and corrections to that thread.


10 reasons to fly Amarr


  1. Amarr is the best because it is. You can't argue with simple truth.
  2. Freak'n LAZORS!!!
  3. Men armour tank. Shelids or whatever is the red bar above your manly tank.
  4. Amarr discovered how to jump around space. So everyone else would be stuck on boring planets without us anyways.
  5. Did anyone mention the freak'n lazors?
  6. There is no six and this is because we Amarr decided it would be that way.
  7. Symmetry anyone?
  8. Have you seen the Amarr Battleship lineup? If you were locked at the time then not for long.
  9. We haz Lazors.
  10. Amarr have enslaved every other race they have encountered. 'Nuff said.



Amarr General Information

Amarr are one of the four character races, and like the others, have a distinct line of ships with specific quirks and capabilities. Amarr ships use armour tanking to protect themselves and primarily employ turrets, specifically Energy Turrets (lasers) to do damage. Amarr are characterized by the following:

  • Armour tanking. This is the most popular tanking method for PvP, and is also the norm for Gallente and some Minmatar ships (making it the standard for Remote Repairing). Amarr ships have high base armour, and several ships have direct bonuses to armour resists (T1 examples: Punisher, Maller, Prophecy, and Abaddon).
  • Energy turrets. These are unique to Amarr vessels and no other races' ships have bonuses for lasers. Laser turrets offer an excellent middle ground by incorporating good range, tracking, and damage when compared to either projectiles or hybrids (the other types of turret weapon systems), which tend to have either poor range or tracking. Frequency crystals, the laser ammo type, can be changed instantly and Tech 1 crystals are unlimited ammunition as they never degrade or shatter. However, lasers are limited to EM and Thermal damage.
  • Capacitor. Amarr pilots rely heavily on their capacitors. Lasers are highly cap-intensive, to such a degree that some Amarr vessels have laser capacitor usage bonuses instead of damage bonuses. Thus, Amarr ships tend to have larger capacitors than other races' ships, and many Amarr pilots prioritize capacitor skills.
  • Drones. Amarr are very effective at using drones, offering the only hulls with drone bonuses outside of the Gallente lineup.
  • Speed. Amarr ships tend to have lower than average base speeds, and, given that Armour tanking tends to directly compromise ships' speed, tanked Amarr fits are often ponderous. If, however, less tank is required Amarr ships' numerous low slots let them overtake even Minmatar ships at a cost.
  • EWAR. The Amarr racial EWAR is tracking disruption (TD), which reduces the optimal range, falloff, and tracking speed of hostile turrets. Tracking disruption is very difficult to counter, but is limited as it is only effective against ships with turrets; it has no affect on missile or drone systems.


In PvP, Amarr ships have been a 'flavor of the month' for much more than a month, and can be extremely useful in nearly all roles. Exceptional armour tanks, big capacitors and lasers excellent combination of damage and range make Amarr ships popular for PvP.

  • Note, however, that the E-Uni starting PvP roles of tackler and EWAR can be difficult for new Amarr pilots as Amarr ships don't excel at these roles with low SP. Amarr frigates have very few mid slots and the Punisher is quite slow while the Executioner is very fragile. The Amarr EWAR is Tracking Disruption (TD) and, although it is extremely useful in certain circumstances, it has no effect on ships that do not use turrets to do damage.


In PvE, Amarr ships are more restricted when running missions. Due to the ability of lasers to only do Thermal and EM damage many of the rats become more difficult to combat then they would be otherwise. Within Amarr space, against Blood Raider and Sansha NPC factions, Amarr ships remain extremely effective but have a difficult time with other factions. This is a concern for some Eve University pilots who want to try missioning close to home, as the University is based in Minmatar space where Angel NPCs are more common.


Amarr ships tend to stick to the formula of lots of armour for defense and lots of lasers for damage, and there are fewer 'exceptions to the rule' than there are in the other races' lineups. Because of this Amarr are sometimes thought to be, from one point of view, the 'simplest' race to fly. Breaking the mould may be more restrictive and less rewarding than it is when flying other races' ships; the opportunities are there but they are more skill intensive and require greater sacrifices. New pilots are best served by playing to the Amarr formula until they know when and how to break the rules.


Cross training into or out of Amarr can be more skill intensive than other cross training. The most viable prospect is Gallente (armour tanking, gunnery and drone synergies) with Minmatar second (some gunnery and armour tanking synergies). Caldari have the fewest skills in common, despite some Khanid missile ships at the Amarr Tech 2 level, and usually requires the most retraining.


Amarr Skills Guide

The skills which are important to Amarr characters are the same skills which are crucial to any pilot who wants to maximize turret weapon damage, survive with an armour tank, and use drones effectively, backed up by solid support and fitting skills. Here are the primary skills associated with this goal together with the specific emphasis for Amarr pilots if applicable for each of the skill categories:


Skill Plans

So what do these core skills mean? If you went through them one by one and maxed them all out (except where noted), without any implants, learning skills first, it would take you 1165 days 16 hours and change as a brand new Amarr pilot. Yes, that is a little over 3 years. Yes, you would be the king of Amarr T1 pilots. Yes, it would be very very silly. However, if this is your first kick at the cat and you have no idea where to start you will not be wrong to start training ANY of the skills on this list and a well rounded Amarr pilot will end up with some degree of all of them over an average career.


Tech 2 Tank

Here are the skills and prerequisites you will need to utilise a Tech 2 Armour Tank - something you will want to aspire to if you plan to PvP or Mission as an Amarr pilot.


You will want to learn the compensation skills to a minimum of 3, and preferably higher, to maximize your tank.



Tech 2 Energy Turrets

Here are the skills and prerequisites you will need to utilise a Tech 2 Energy Turret - because that means more pew pew!

Each type of Energy Turret requires a specific specialization skill. Note that each larger size specializations will incorporate the smaller size specialization with all its prerequisites. Here they are with applicable prerequisites:





Amarr Ships Guide


Rookie Ship


Impairor

Template:Ship Intro This is the best looking and perhaps the least capable of any of the starting ships, but it doesn't really matter. It will easily do everything it needs to do with its civilian modules and completing the Military Tutorial as soon as possible will hand you several better platforms. It does have room for a single drone in the drone bay, all while looking fantastic.



Frigate


Executioner

Template:Ship Intro This is the speedy frigate with the highest base velocity of the Amarr T1 frigates at 404 m/s. It also has high maneuverability and accordingly can cruise around and align very quickly if required. Its primary limitation is the 2 High, 2 Mid, and 2 Low slots (2/2/2), giving pilots little room for different modules. For just driving around fast, practicing skills that will come into play later on as an interceptor pilot, or system hopping as quickly as possible the Executioner is a great choice. It is even feasible as a quick transport for small quantities of goods.

Despite its very low price, it is rarely chosen over the Punisher for either PvP or PvE, because of its fragile nature and lack of slots. Some people do use it as an alpha tackler set up with a microwarp drive and warp disruptor, using the high speed to get the first point into play, but it lacks the potential tank of the Punisher and so is less common.

Inquisitor

Template:Ship Intro The Amarr missile frigate is the only Amarr T1 ship with missile bonuses. It is also the only Amarr T1 frigate that can fit 4 weapon systems with its 3 launcher and 1 turret hardpoints.

The Inquisitor is somewhat underused, since most new Amarr pilots have poor missile skills. More experienced pilots looking for missile frigates tend to fly Caldari frigates.

Tormentor

Template:Ship Intro With Mining bonuses, fledgling Amarr miners will want to start here. It is actually quite a tough little mining frigate, and has the minimum (5 cubic meter) drone bay.



Punisher

Template:Ship Intro Thank goodness it is good looking as this is where a brand new Amarr pilot will spend a lot of his or her time.

This is easily the most survivable and tenacious of the T1 frigates. Due to decent shield and excellent armour HP together with the bonus to armour resistances and the 4 low slots, this platform can handle a surprising amount of damage for a T1 frigate. It has 4 high (3 turret), 2 mid, 4 low slots (4/2/4). The Punisher's 3 turrets give it very good dps, but its 2 Mid slots prevent it from fitting the tackling trinity; a speed module, a point, and a web. It has the largest capacitor of a T1 frigate in order to keep its lasers firing, and it can even be fitted with projectile turrets instead of lasers to allow the large capacitor to be re-purposed for armour repairers or other high capacitor using modules. High SP pilots will often mention this ship as their favourite T1 PvP Frigate in the same breath as the infamous Minmatar Rifter.

This the E-Uni tackler for new Amarr pilots, but it does not excel at this role due to the limited mid slots and low base velocity.







Crucifier

Template:Ship Intro The Amarr EWAR frigate. It specializes in Tracking Disruptors to greatly reduce the effectiveness of enemy turret users. Flown in that role this little ship can cripple an enemy battleship or other turret based damage dealer, and accordingly it can be a great force multiplier in a fleet. EWAR in E-Uni fleets often has a great impact and a short life expectancy.

It is the only Amarr T1 frigate with 3 Mid slots and accordingly some favour this platform as a tackler. However, it is limited by slow speed, a weak tank, and poor scan resolution making it less than ideal.






Magnate

Template:Ship Intro An excellent frigate to learn the basics of exploration due to its bonuses for scanning and probing. Smurfprime's Probing Guide is an excellent resource on how exactly to do this while these pages have information on potential scanning results and exploration combat sites.

The Magnate is the only Amarr T1 frigate with a 10 cubic meter drone bay allowing 2 light scout drones. It also has a 320 cubic meter cargohold, so it can even be used as a makeshift hauler for new Amarr pilots who lack access to an industrial.







Destroyer


Coercer

Template:Ship Intro The 8 high slots will cause a sharp intake of breath for a new player getting their first Coercer. This firepower will make it an ideal platform for chewing through any Level 1 Mission. The 4 low slots allow enough tank to accomplish this PvE task easily; however, it is limited by only having 1 mid slot compared to other destroyers.

It fulfills a role as an early salvager capably, and this is probably the more enduring role as most players will likely outgrow its PvE uses quickly. It can be used for Level 2 Missions, but this requires caution balanced against the knowledge and SP of the pilot and accordingly the fit.

Destroyers in general are of limited use in PvP for low skill point pilots. They have a small tank like a frigate on a ship with a larger signature radius and combined with its higher damage output, destroyers are early targets in fleet engagements. The Coercer also lacks midslots for utility modules like warp disruptors/scramblers and stasis webifiers, meaning it tends to be relegated to PvE use. With very high skill points and once Tech 2 modules can be fitted their are some fun niche roles for the coercer but those are beyond the scope of this guide.







Cruiser



Arbitrator

Template:Ship Intro

The Arbitrator is more versatile than most Amarr ships as it has bonuses to both drones and tracking disruption and a flexible slot layout, it is even technically the Amarr mining cruiser. Unlike other Amarr vessels, the Arbitrator rarely relies on turrets to deal damage; instead, pilots tend to leverage the drone damage bonus and large drone bay while using the high slots for utility modules. It is even one of the few exceptions which can be functionally shield tanked althought this is unlikely for a new Amarr pilot as the required skills will not be trained.

In PvE, the long range on drones allows the Arbitrator to kite NPCs and avoid most incoming damage by being far out of range of their weapons. Combined with the ability to fit tractor beams and salvagers in the highs, this makes the Arbitrator the best Amarr missioning cruiser, potentially able to take on level three missions with good skills.

In PvP situations, the Arbitrator remains an excellent ship. The tracking disruptor bonus allows it to shut down enemy damage-dealers and protect fleetmates, while still contributing damage via drones.

The Arbitrator's flexibilty does suffer from a few limitations. It lacks the slots for a good array of onboard weapons - two turrets and a single missile launcher contribute a paltry amount of dps, leading to pilots either ignoring weapons for pvp use, or fitting token guns to get agro in PvE while using drones for actual damage. The Arbitrator has a rather small capacitor for an Amarr ship, particularly when using a Microwarpdrive, and it is not terribly maneuverable.






Augoror

Template:Ship Intro

The Augoror is the Amarr logistics cruiser. It's bonused towards capacitor transfer, which if of limited use by itself. While cap transfer is strong when paired with armor remote repair, as on the Guardian or remote-rep battleship gangs, the Augoror is limited enough that it is rarely used in PvP. Granted, the Augoror can have an extraordinarily tough tank, it's just hard to make that tank useful.

Like the Inquisitor this is probably one of the least common Amarr ships you will ever see flying around.

Omen

Template:Ship Intro

The Omen has the highest damage potential of any Amarr cruiser, but suffers from powergrid limitations, making it difficult to fit everything you want on it.

Because it relies on turrets for dps, the Omen is the most common starting PvE Amarr cruiser, though once a pilot has Drones IV or V, the Arbitrator is probably a more effective choice.

In PvP, it does a great job of fufilling the traditional 'gank' cruiser fleet role. Three mid slots allows at least minimum utility with propulsion and tackle or cap recharging modules.

As with some Amarr ships, it has capacitor problems.






Maller

Template:Ship Intro

The Maller's armour resist bonus lets it fit a beastly tank, especially as it has sufficient fitting room for large armor plates, but it suffers from poor damage. The Cap use bonus doesn't increase the Maller's damage output, so it is another candidate to fit projectile turrets on if skills are cross trained, much as autocannons can be used on the Punisher.

For PvE, both the Omen and Arbitrator are more common choices, as each can fit a sufficient tank for L2 missions while maintaining a higher damage output than the Maller.

For PvP, the Maller is uncommon but has a few niche uses. It can serve as excellent but predictable bait with a very large tank, or be setup as a frigate-killing ship, using a solid tank and frigate-sized guns (particularly projectiles). Respectable gank can be achieved by fitting no tank and filling it with damage modules, using it's reputation as a tough target to hopefully hide in plain sight while the enemy primaries other ships first.




Battlecruiser



Prophecy

Template:Ship Intro

The Prophecy is not a commonly used ship. It certainly can fit an amazing tank for slightly less cost than the Harbinger, but it has a comparatively weak damage output with fewer turrets than the Harbinger, and no damage bonus. If you encounter one in a pvp setting, it's probably bait for a larger fleet waiting around the corner.

The Prophecy does have a niche PvE use. It could be fitted with projectile turrets and a good tank, and used for missioning in Angel space, since fusion ammo is more effective against Angels than lasers. This is probably less effective than a Harbinger fit for missions (or, potentially, a Harbinger using projectiles), but one of the few good uses for the ship.

Harbinger

Template:Ship Intro

The Harbinger is an excellent battlecruiser. It has high damage at good ranges, is relatively maneuverable for an Amarr ship, has a decent drone bay, and even comes with a utility high slot.

Depending on pilot's fitting skills, it can be difficult to find the power grid for the biggest medium guns (Heavy Pulse or Heavy Beam lasers), but this is a small drawback.

The seven high slots are typically completely full of lasers, with the utility high fit with either salvagers, remote repair, drone link augmentors, probe launchers, or tractor beams. Capacitor warfare mods are options for PvP, but the harbinger rarely has enough grid for them. There are a good number of mid-slots (4) for an Amarr ship, providing room for a MWD/point/web/utility mod (usually a cap booster) in PvP. The harbinger has a large number of low-slots, letting it fit hefty armour tanks or plenty of damage modules.

There are niche PvP fits using shield tanks, but most harbingers are predictably armour tanked.


Battleship



Armageddon

Template:Ship Intro

The Armageddon is the cheapest Amarr battleship, making it popular among pilots concerned about losing their ship in PvP, but it still offers very high dps. The laser cap use and laser rate of fire bonuses have good synergy, and the 'Geddon has a utility high that makes it popular in remote-repair battleship gangs. Sadly the Armageddon has only three midslots, so pilots cannot fit a propulsion mod, point, web, and cap booster, but a combination of three of those four is very common. Lastly, it is the only Amarr battleship that can field a full flight of heavy drones or sentries.

The Armageddon is less popular for PvE use than either the Apoc or Armageddon for various reasons, not least of which is that it only has 7 guns, rather than 8.




Apocalypse

Template:Ship Intro

The Apocalypse does not have a damage bonus. Normally that would imply a projectile weapon fit would be common, but the laser range bonus can translate into a damage bonus, allowing pilots to use shorter-range, higher-damage crystals from farther away.

The Apoc is the most common Amarr PvE ship because range is so important in missions, and the cap use bonus lets it fit a good tank more easily, freeing slots for heat sinks and armor hardeners. With Amarr Battleship 4 or 5, the Apocalypse can often fit pulse lasers and deal good damage at beam laser range. (Indeed, t2 pulses with scorch are excellent weapons for PvE Apocs)

For PvP, the Apocalypse is an outstanding fleet sniper, able to hit hard out to 200km+ ranges. It is, however, less common in shorter-range PvP engagements, where the damage and tank bonuses of the Armageddon and Abaddon make those ships more popular.


Apoc Starter Mission Fit from the E-Uni Forum Post

Template:High Slots 8 Template:Mid Slots 4 Template:Low Slots 7 Template:Rig Slots 3 Template:Drone Bay

  • See forum post for options


Apoc WH Fit from the E-Uni Forum Post

Template:High Slots 8 Template:Mid Slots 4 Template:Low Slots 7 Template:Rig Slots 3 Template:Drone Bay

  • 105k EHP, 269 DPS, 1602 salvo


Apoc WH Killer submitted by devian chase

Template:High Slots 8 Template:Mid Slots 4 Template:Low Slots 7 Template:Rig Slots 3 Template:Drone Bay

  • drone dps 141 with hammerheads
  • turret dps 797 with imperial navy multifrequency L up to 25+14 km
  • turret dps 635 with scorch l up to 74+14km
  • eft = 74.435
  • em=76.3%
  • therm =69.2%
  • kinetic=77.2%
  • explosive=75.6%
  • it has a little bit of pimp with faction modules but if you dont want to get those just drop them for t2 stuff
  • and if unsure about the tank drop 1 of the damage mods for a 1600mm get your eft up to 98k losing something like70 dps



Flying Manual 101: An apoc should have all 8 slots used for guns let someone else (domi /tempest) do the repping your a 900 dps machine up to 80 km range with super tracking making you usefull against even the cruiser defenders that circle you at 16km + at c3-c4 you dont need any plates at all (use this fit and a RR domi to duo combat sites in c3 .. hitting 100 mil isk /hour per person with it)

Abaddon

Template:Ship Intro

The 'Golden Brick' is a beast. It has a laser damage bonus with 8 turret slots, and an armour resistance bonus. As such, the Abaddon can deal lots of damage with a huge buffer tank. The downside being the capacitor. The tendency to fit big guns, use short-range, high-damage, cap-intensive ammo, plus possible armor reppers/microwarpdrives, means the Abaddon burns through its capacitor very quickly. As such, it's almost always fit with a capacitor booster for PvP, and capacitor modules are indispensable for PvE fits.

Abaddons are reasonable PvE alternatives to the Apocalypse, effectively coming with a free Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane, though this really depends on the particular NPCs a pilot is facing. It takes a bit of work and good capacitor skills to get a cap-stable tank on the 'Baddon, but it has a higher damage potential than the apoc at some range bands.

For PvP the Abaddon has the strongest tank of any Amarr battleship, with resist bonuses helping both local buffer tanks and increasing the efficiency of any remote-repair that may be directed its way.




Industrial



Sigil

Template:Ship Info This industrial requires Amarr Industrial I and is one of the fastest industrial haulers. This is of course a relative statement as it is still very slow, but with 5 low slots you can get an align time much quicker than is normal for an industrial. It is extremely fragile and even if tanked as much as possible it is very easy to suicide gank. Typically there is no point fitting a tank or cargo extenders at all, either use it for its relative speed or fly a Bestower. This makes it the industrial of choice for relatively small, cheap cargo runs through high-sec on autopilot as long as they will not temp suicide gankers.



Bestower

Template:Ship Intro Arguably the best of the racial industrials from a 'bang for your buck' perspective, and only requiring Amarr Industrial I, the bestower is a favourite for alternate character hauling setups. See Creating an Alt Hauler for details.

The Bestower can easily get enough room for a packaged battlecruiser with a few expanded carohold IIs and rigs, and players should not overlook the use of Giant Secure Containers to further expand the internal cargohold. If you are tempted to put a tank on it for fear of suicide gankers you should really consider not hauling that cargo with this ship: either get a friend who can fly something tougher to help or take out a courier contract.